Washing machine having rotary tub with separate discharge means



April 7, 1953 w. J. ROTH 2,633,727 WASHING MACHINE HAVING ROTARY TUB WITH SEPARATE DISCHARGE MEANS FiledApril 29, 1952 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 INVENTOR E W4; rz J. Ear

BY e m/y ATTORNEYJ Aprll 7, 1953 w, J, ROTH 2,633,727

WASHING MACHINE HAVING ROTARY TUB WITH SEPARATE DISCHARGE MEANS Flled April 29, 1952 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTOR Wmrez J. Born BY (BMW A ATTORNEYJ Patented Apr. 7, 1953 WASHING MACHINE HAVING ROTARY TUB WITH SEPARATE DISCHARGE MEANS Walter J Roth, Webster City, Iowa, assignor to 7 Solar Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis., a. corporation of Delaware Application March 29, 1952, Serial No. 279,331

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in washing machines of the type wherein the clothes are washed in a tub which tub is then rotated. .to centrifugally expel the washing liquid and more specifically relates to improvements in the machine as disclosed in the George P. Castner Patent No. 2,470,140, issued May 17, 1949, for Washing Machine Having Rotatable Tub With Upper and Lower Discharge Means.

As set forth in detail in that patent there is a .problem in machines of this general type in disposing of the accumulated settled sedimentary material which is washed from the clothes without causing this material to contaminate the cleansed clothes. As the tub is rotated to centrifugally expel the washing liquid up o er the edge of the tub there is a tendency for this sedimentary material also to move upwardly and come in contact with the clothes unless some provision is made to prevent this obviously undesirable action. In the Castner patent the bottom of the tub is provided with a recess in its bottom into which the sediment may be accumulated and trapped while washing, and this sediment trap, as it is called, is provided with separate outlets through which the sediment and a part of the washing liquid will be separately expelled when the tub is spun, without coming into contact with the clothes. In the patent furthermore these outlets take the form of tubes which extend from the outlets of the sediment trap outward and upward alongside the walls of the tub and open at their upper ends for discharging the sedimentary material and such liquid as carries it along when the tub spins. These discharge tubes act somewhat as risers and extend straight upwardly alongside the tub.

It is the primary object of my invention to improve upon this Castner construction by curving or angling the discharge tube or tubes outward and upward, reversely with respect to the direction of rotation of the tub, instead of extending the tube straight upward as in the patent. It is important to achieve a flow of water and sediment as quickly as possible through the sediment trap discharge as the tub is set in motion so that the sedimentary materialwill be gotten rid of at once and the trailing tube is found to be very advantageous in this respect. It will be understood that the cleansing liquid will stand in the tube while washing and with the tube angling outward and upward the inlet end of the tube is located in advance of its outlet end, with reference to the direction ofrotation of the tub,

2 flow out of the tube with what may be described as a jet eiiect which is very desirable.

These and other more detailed and specific objects will be disclosed in the course of the following specification reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- .Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a clothes washing tub with sediment trap and discharge tubes therefor according to my invention, parts of the tub being shown in section to better show the construction details.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view along the line 2 2 in Fig. 1.

7 Referring now more particularly and by reference characters to the drawing, A designates generally the tub of a washing machine of the agitator and extractor type, same having an annular upwardly flaring wall It! and a bottom H and forming a receptacle for the clothes to be washed and the cleansing liquid therefor. An oscillating agitator B is mounted in the tub and has the usual radial vanes l2 carried by a central member which flares .outwardly in the form of a skirt I3 located immediately over the bottom of the tub. Thetub here shown is surmounted by an annular balancing ring Hi bolted to the outwardly turned upper flange E5 of the tub.. The tub is supported and rotated by a hollow center shaft structure It through which there runs a shaft I! for oscillating the agitator B. I do not, of course, limit mysellj to the precise tub arrangement here illustrated, it bein solely for the purposes of disclosing my invention which may be applied to many difierent styles of tubs and washing mechanisms.

In the use of this general type of washing machine the tub is filled with cleansing liquid and the clothes to be washed and the agitator B operated for washing the clothes. When the washing cycle is completed the agitator stops and the tub is then spun rapidly on its vertical axis to centrifugally extract the liquid from the clothes. It will be noted that the wall it) of the tub flares upwardly, or the tub increases in diameter gradually toward its top and the centrifugal action thus causes the liquid to move up inside the wall until it is discharged over the upper edge of the tub, above the normal level of liquid in the tube. The clothes are, however, retained in the tub in any usual way such as by an internal perforated ring inside the tub, but this being well known and immaterial to the present invention it is not shown. Without some means to prevent it the sediment which collects in the bottom of and the spinningmotion causes this water to the tub would also move up inside the tub back into contact with the clothes as stated hereinbefore.

In a manner analogous to the showing in Castner Patent No. 2,470,140 the bottom of the tub A is provided with a shallow recess 18 beneath the skirt [3 of the agitator and the sedimentary material will naturally be accumulated and trapped in this recess during the washing operation, the skirt excluding the clothes from the recess. As here shown the recess I8 is formed by a downwardly and then inwardly turned flange portion it of the tub bottom I t to which is bolted at 20 a pan or cover 2| having at least one trap outlet 22 communicating with the recess. In this outlet 22 there is fitted the lower inlet end 23 of a hollow element or discharge tube 24 held in place and sealed by a fitting 25-and-the corresponding tubes in the Castner patent then extend straight upward to about the upper edge of the tub. There is thus provided a trap for the accumulation of the sedimentary material which settles during the washing operation, and an outlet through which this trapped material will be centrifugally discharged along a path separate from the largebody of liquid which is thrown over the upper edge of. the tub. Hence the sediment may be gotten rid of without contact with the clothes. Since there is communication between the interior of the tub and the tube 24 liquid will stand in the tube. and liquid will be expelled through the tube as the tub spins to thoroughly flush out the sedimentary material.

As stated, the corresponding two discharge tubes in the Castner patent extend straight upward as viewed from the side although they follow the tub wall it] and therefore flare apart. In accordance with my present invention, however, the single tube after curving upwardly from the outlet 22 and out from beneath the tub itself then angles upwardly and curves around the wall of the tub in a helical fashion and in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the tub, the latter being indicated by the arrows in both Figs. 1 and 2 The upper discharge end 26 of the tube terminates below the flange and is displaced angularly around the tub with reference to the lower inlet end of the tube. As a result of this angular arrangement of the tube and resulting sloping pathway for the sediment I find that the tube will start delivering liquid faster after the tub is set in motion than do the straightup tubes of the Castner construction and I am thus able to get rid of the sedimentary material quickly and before it has any opportunity to rise from the trap inside of the tub into deleterious contact with the washed clothes. The water standing in the tube may, of course, travel or climb up the trailing inclines easier than up the straight tubes and is found to issue from the upper end 26 with what may be well described as a jet effect. As seen in Fig. 2 the inlet end of the tube is located in advance of its outlet end, with respect to the direction of rotation of the tub, and as a result the sedimentary material is expelled from the tub both by centrifugal force and by the inertia of the liquid which causes it to move quickly outward and upward from the tube as the tub is set in motion.

I have here shown the tub as equipped with only one sediment discharge tube 24 and I find that the angular arrangement and curvature of the tube so facilitates the ejection of the sedimentary material that I may obtain very satisfactory disposal of the sediment with a single tube as compared with the: two of the Castner patent. I

4 do not, however, limit myself to the single tube and two or more may be used in which case the advantage over the earlier construction will be multiplied.

It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in the structure as disclosed, provided such modifications come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having now therefore fully illustrated and described my invention, what I claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1 In a washing. machine, a liquid holding tub rotatable about a generally upright axis and having an upwardly extending side wall operative, when'rotated at high speed, to centrifugally discharge the liquid content of the tub upwardly along said side wall and thence outwardly from the tub, and a separate tubular member mounted on the outer side of the tub for rotation with the tub and having an inlet end connected to the bottom of the tub for receiving sedimentary material therefrom, the tubular member extending upwardly toward the top of the tub with the outlet end thereof being disposed at an elevation at least as high as the normal washing level of the liquid in the tub whereby liquid will not escape therethrcugh when the tub is stationary, the inlet end of the tubular member being located in ad Vance of its outlet end, with reference to the direction of rotation to eifect a jet -like discharge of sedimentary material tl'ierefroni, and the inlet end of the tubular member being further located inwardly of its outlet end toward the axis of retation of the tub, whereby the tubular member will be operative, when rotated at high speed with the tub, to more the sedimentary material through the tubular member and discharge the material from the upper end thereof.

2. In a washing machine, a liquid holding tub rotatable about a generally upright axis and having an upwardly extending side wall operative, when rotated at high speed, to centrifugally discharge the liquid content of the tub upwardly along said side wall and thence outwardly from the tub, and a separate tubular member mounted onthe outer side of the tub for rotation with the tub and having an inlet end connected to the bottom of the tub for receiving sedimentary ma.- teri-al therefrom, the tubular member extending upwardly toward the top of the tub with the outlet end thereof being disposed at an elevation at least as high as the normal washing level of the liquid in the tub whereby liquid will notv escape therethrough when the tub is stationary, the inlet end or the tubular member being located in advance of its outlet end, with reference to the direction of rotation to effect a jet-like discharge of sedimentary material therefrom and said tubular member being spirally curved between its lower and upper ends about the tub, and the inlet end of the tubular member. being further located inwardly of its. outlet end toward the axis of rotation of; the tub, whereby the tubular member will be operative, when rotated at high speed with the tub, .to move the sedimentary material through the tubular member and discharge the'material from the upper end thereof.

3. In a washing machine, a liquid holding tub rotatable about a generally upright axis and having an upwardly extending side wall operative, when rotated at high speed, to centrifugally discharge the liquid content of the tub upwardly along said sidewall andthence outwardly from the tub, and a separate tubular member mounted on the outer side of the tub for rotation with the 5 tub and having an inlet end connected to the bottom of the tub for receiving sedimentary material therefrom, the tubular member extending upwardly to a point where the outlet end thereof will be disposed at an elevation above the normal washing level of the liquid in the tub whereby liquid will not escape through the tubular member when the tub is stationary, the inlet end of the tubular member being located inwardly of its outlet end, toward the axis of rotation of the tub, whereby the tubular member will be operative, when rotated at high speed with the tub, to move the sedimentary material through the tubular member and discharge it therefrom by centrifugal force, the inlet end of the tubular member being located in advance of its outlet end, with reference to the direction of rotation, whereby the tubular member will be further operative, when rotated at high speed with the tub, to accelerate the flow of sedimentary material through the tubular member under the force of inertia.

WALTER J. ROTH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,772,863 Green Aug. 12, 1930 2,009,111 Kirby July 23, 1935 2,274,402 Dunham Feb. 24, 1942 2,470,140 Castner May 17, 1949 

